Anomie facts for kids
Anomie is a word that describes a situation where people or a group don't follow the usual rules or shared ideas about what is right and wrong. It's like when a society or a group of people loses its sense of common values. This can sometimes lead to confusion or problems within a community.
What Does Anomie Mean?
The word anomie comes from ancient Greek. It combines two parts:
- The prefix a- which means "without" or "not."
- The word nomos which means "law" or "rule."
So, the original meaning of anomie was "without law" or "against the law."
In modern English, anomie often means a state of "normlessness." This means there's a lack of clear rules or standards for how people should behave.
Anomie and Society
A famous French thinker named Émile Durkheim (pronounced: Eh-MEEL Door-KIME) studied anomie a lot. He was a sociologist, which is someone who studies how societies work.
Durkheim explained that anomie is not the same as anarchy.
- Anarchy is when there are no leaders or no government to keep order.
- Anomie is about a lack of clear rules or shared values that guide people's actions. It's more about people feeling disconnected from society's rules.
Durkheim believed that when society's rules become unclear, or when people feel like they don't fit in, it can lead to anomie. This can happen during big changes in society, like a sudden economic boom or a crisis. People might feel lost because the old rules don't seem to apply anymore, and new rules haven't been made yet.
When people experience anomie, they might feel confused about what is expected of them. They might not know how to act or what goals to aim for. This can make them feel disconnected from others and from society.
See also
In Spanish: Anomia (ciencias sociales) para niños
